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Farewell, man the hunter?

By Bob Holmes

HUNTING skills may not after all have triggered the tremendous burst of human evolution at the beginning of the ice ages nearly 2 million years ago. Instead of man the hunter, the driving force behind this evolutionary surge may have been woman the gatherer, with both mother and grandmother playing a vital role.

For 40 years, anthropologists have leaned toward the notion that rich, nourishing meat – brought home by hunters and shared out – played a crucial role in human origins. This would explain why evolution selected for larger, smarter hunters with lighter jaws and teeth&colon; …